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Movies / On DVD / Man on Fire
Man on Fire

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Man on Fire (2004)

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Reviews Counted:153

Fresh:59

Rotten:94

Average Rating:5.2/10

Consensus: Man on Fire starts out well, but goes over the top in the violent second half.

Rated: 18 [See Full Rating] for language and strong violence

Runtime: 2 hrs 26 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:08-10-2004

Synopsis: John Creasy (Denzel Washington) is a lost soul. A former government operative, he has become an alcoholic nomad, searching for inspiration and redemption. An old friend (Christopher Walken) who... John Creasy (Denzel Washington) is a lost soul. A former government operative, he has become an alcoholic nomad, searching for inspiration and redemption. An old friend (Christopher Walken) who lives in Mexico gets Creasy a job as a bodyguard for nine-year-old Lupita "Pita" Ramos (Dakota Fanning), the daughter of Mexican Samuel (Marc Anthony) and his American wife Lisa (Radha Mitchell). Creasy's primary job is to protect Pita from the kidnapping attempts that are an increasing menace to the children of Mexico City's wealthy. A man of few words and many secrets, Creasy initially balks at Pita's attempts to befriend him, but soon a bond grows between the precocious child and this lonely man who is tormented by his past. When Pita is kidnapped despite Creasy's valiant attempts to save her, he will do anything to bring all of those involved to justice. His fury unravels a net of almost unimaginable corruption and greed in the process. Director Tony Scott (TOP GUN, CRIMSON TIDE) builds the relationship between Creasy and Pita in the first half of the film in order to justify Creasy's violent actions in the latter half, and in the process he does a fine job of keeping the film's tension consistently high. [More]

Starring: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Radha Mitchell, Christopher Walken

Starring: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Radha Mitchell, Christopher Walken, Giancarlo Giannini, Marc Anthony, Rachel Ticotin, Mickey Rourke

Director: Tony Scott

Director: Tony Scott
Screenwriter: Brian Helgeland
Producer: Lucas Foster, Arnon Milchan, Tony Scott
Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams
Studio: 20th Century Fox

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Reviews for Man on Fire

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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"One of those rare treats -- an original and ingenious take on an otherwise formulaic idea."

Full Review Source: FilmFocus | comment Comment
10/06/04
Joe Utichi
Joe Utichi
FilmFocus

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
10/06/04
Nev Pierce
Nev Pierce
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/19/04
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
12/06/05
Independent
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Revenge films take another bump.

Full Review Source: FilmsInReview.com | comment Comment
04/21/04
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

A serious drama that spends careful camera time with its characters. Some plot problems, but this picture has a strong heart underneath a harsh surface.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
04/26/04
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

Director Tony Scott's visual style is very jittery and more expressionistic than it needs to be, but he succeeds in creating an appropriately nightmarish, apocalyptic vision of the Third World south of the border.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
04/22/04
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Heavy-handed and stiff, Tony Scott's film is longwinded and irritatingly reminiscent -- stylistically at least -- of the works of David Fincher.

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment Comment
04/29/04
Angela Baldassarre
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca

Trash is trash, no matter how expensive or arty it looks, or how well-acted it is.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
04/23/04
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

Scott’s laudable attempt to push the envelope emotionally can’t quite overcome the screenplay’s limitations

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
04/21/04
Chris Barsanti
Chris Barsanti
Filmcritic.com

A better-than- average example of a revenge flick.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
04/22/04
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Man On Fire becomes riveting in (Washington's) calm, meticulous rage. But gradually it's also undermined by Scott's non-stop, hopped-up-on-crystal-meth-style editing.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
04/22/04
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

Punch drunk with sadism and sentimentality.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
04/23/04
Michael Booth
Michael Booth
Denver Post

Maybe the film should be called Man on Fire Whose Bleeding Gunshot Wounds Won't Stop Him.

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
04/23/04
Kit Bowen
Kit Bowen
Hollywood.com

You'd have to call Man on Fire a mess, but at least it's an interesting mess.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
04/23/04
Jay Boyar
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel

Because of Washington's superb gifts and stores of charisma, he can be casual in the way he exercises them, even in a method of interrogation never seen on NYPD.

Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
05/02/04
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals

[Director Tony] Scott's meaningless stylistics immediately grate on the nerves.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
04/28/04
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

Tries to justify revenge by hooking it into the myth of redemptive violence -- it doesn't work.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment 1 Comment
04/22/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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Latest News for Man on Fire

May 20, 2009: Fox International Targets Local Markets Opens in new window
Looking to drum up new(ish) streams of international income, Fox is planning Russian and Japanese versions of library titles such as "Man on Fire" and "Working Girl." More...

September 24, 2007: Denzel, Tony Scott to Take Pelham One Two Three
Pelham is about to be taken again -- and Denzel Washington and Tony Scott are doing the taking. More...

May 21, 2007: Four Directors Up for the Next "Bond" Flick?
Curious to know who'll be directing the next James Bond flick? Join the club. One source has a short list of potential helmers, all of whom would be pretty ... distinctive. More...

November 21, 2006: Critical Consensus: "Halls" Spreads Little Cheer; "Déjà Vu" Intrigues; "The Fountain" Overflows; "Pick" Is Mixed
This week at the movies, we've got holiday mischief ("Deck the Halls," starring Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito), a phenomenon known as déjà vu ("Déjà... More...

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